Graydon Evans

Graydon Evans was from Bolivar, Ohio. In 1943 Roosevelt was president and our Country Was involved heavily in World War II. General Patton was urging Roosevelt to complete the testing of bomber/fighter aircraft. These new aircraft were built to fly at altitudes of 20,000 to 30,000 feet. Graydon Evans had wanted to join the United States Air Force but was turned down because of his age. His experience in flying therefore landed him a job as a test pilot for the Consolidated Vultee Corporation (Convair) in Fort Worth, Texas.

Prototype Failure

Consolidated vultee was commissioned to conduct test flights for the U.S government / to be used by the United States Airforce. Graydon had seen the designs for the aircraft that he was requested to test and he mentioned that the engines would catch fire during flight because of a poorly designed de-icing system. The planes were installed with Sunbeam De-Icer heaters which were placed inside the wings too close to the fuel lines. For that reason Graydon had ordered rubber booting from Goodyear in Akron, Ohio, to protect the de-icing system currently installed on the aircraft. But they would not wait and therefore ordered that the plane be taken up for a test flight with a full crew despite Graydon's warning.

On Thanksgiving November 25, 1943, the plane took off fully loaded for its test. Shortly after take-off the first engine caught fire as Graydon had predicted, then a second engine caught fire and the plane crashed before an emergency landing could be made. All the men on board were killed instantly except for the tailgunner who died thirteen hours later.

The Aftermath

The rubber bootings arrived shortly after the plane crashed. Consolidated Vultee removed the faulty heaters and applied the rubber bootings that Graydon had recommended which continued to be used as part of a safe de-icing design. The man who insisted the test flight be made early committed [...] shortly thereafter. Graydon was brought back to Sandyville, Ohio, for his burial and at each stop along the way to change trains he was given full military honors before embarking again. Graydon Evans was thiry-five years old when he died.